Napa restaurants winners of 2015 Michelin Bib Gourmand Awards!

Great news: Guests staying at the Old World Inn's Cabernet House, Merlot House and Hotel Napa Valley can walk-- and drive-- to even more Michelin Guide "Bib Gourmand" award-winning restaurants!

Each year, Michelin's Bib Gourmands are awarded to restaurants that offer excellent food at a reasonable price. They are selected by Michelin's anonymous food inspectors and represent restaurants that serve two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for $40 or less (tax and gratuity not included). Perhaps most important, these are the restaurants that the Michelin food inspectors personally frequent themselves!

This morning, the Michelin Guide announced their 2015 Bib Gourmand winners. We were delighted to see some new additions:

Grace's Table (14 min walk from Old World Inns)

Farmer and the Fox (20 min drive)

Executive chef Joseph Humphrey (left) and Jason LaBue, chef de cuisine at the Farmer and the Fox

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They join past winners:

Downtown Napa:

Oenotri (12 min walk from Old World Inns)

C Casa (in the Oxbow, a 20 min walk from our inn)

Yountville (15 min drive):

Redd Wood Pizzeria 

Bistro Jeanty (where Sharon and Russ dated) ;-)

St Helena (20-25 min drive):

Cook

Sonoma (20-30 min drive):

Hot Box Grill 

Girl and the Fig (one of our faves!)

LaSalette

If you're a foodie, you'll love these places. Affordable, and great food!

Click the links above to get sample menus (most change their menus every day, so these are just examples).

Congrats again to Grace's Table (Napa) and Farmer and the Fox (St Helena). You deserve it!!

Russ Herschelmann & Sharon Fry

Innkeepers/Owners Napa Old World Inn

BIG NEWS: Erasto Jacinto joins Napkins Restaurant as their new Executive Chef!

As the innkeepers of the Old World Inn, we're delighted to share some REALLY big news today: Erasto Jacinto, one of Napa Valley's hardest-working and most talented chefs has joined the team at Napkins restaurant as their new executive chef.

Erasto and his brother Pablo spent decades as executive chefs for restauranteur Cindy Pawlcyn's famed Mustards Grille and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen. The two brothers also collaborated with Cindy in developing her popular cookbook Big Small Plates, a follow-up to her James Beard Award-winning Mustards cookbook. Their latest joint venture was working with Catherine Bergen's C Casa, a Michelin Bib Gourmand-winning Taqueria in Napa's Oxbow Public Market. These guys are great.

We have stopped by and enjoyed the fun atmosphere and food of Napkins several times, but we can't wait to get in and try Chef Erasto's new creations. 

Life is good in downtown Napa!

-Russ Herschelmann & Sharon Fry

Innnkeepers/Owners

Old World Inn

Cabernet House

Merlot House

Hotel Napa Valley

Old World Inn: Bottlerock Napa 2014 LINEUP!!!

WOW, what an incredible array of talent for BottleRock 2014.

All the details below. If you want to stay in Napa at the Old World Inn for Bottle Rock 2014, you need to call us soon.

BottleRock Napa 2014 will be on May 30, 31, and June 1, 2014. 

This year's event has an amazing line up:

The Cure
Outkast
Eric Church
Weezer
The Fray
Heart
LL Cool J featuring DJ Z-Trip
Sublime with Rome
Third Eye Blind
Matt & Kim
Deerhunter
Matisyahu
Barenaked Ladies
Bluestraveler
Smash Mouth
De La Soul
The Black Angels
Robert Earl Keen
Spin Doctors
Gin Blossoms
Ed Kowalczyk
Thee Oh Sees
Cracker
Howie Day
Robert DeLong
Moon Taxi
Karl Denison's Tiny Universe
Camper Van Beethoven
Hurray for the Riff Raff
Empires
Keep Shelly in Athens
Miner
Ben Soulee
Delta Rae
Tea Leaf Green
Jon Batiste & Stay Human
James Otto
Moon Alice
The Stone Foxes
Victory
The Soft White Sixties

...AND MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED!!!

Combine that with Napa Valley's top wineries and food from some of Napa's best chefs, and you have the makings of one VERY memorable weekend. 

Tickets for all 3 days are as low as $249.

Unlike some of the other hotels in town, we are NOT going to make our rates $1000 per night. So we *will* sell out, just like last year.

If you're interested in staying with us for BottleRock 2014, please book online at:

http://www.oldworldinn.com

Or call us at anytime (24/7) at 707-257-0112 if you need any help.

We'll see you soon...Napa Valley wine, great food, and music... what could be better?

See you soon!

-Russ Herschelmann, Sharon Fry, and all of the innkeepers at Old World Inn

Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore & Cameron Diaz: Girls Getaway to Napa!

Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and friends vist Napa

The great thing about being an innkeeper at a Napa Bed and Breakfast Inn is that, sooner or later, the whole world stops by for a visit. This week is no different, as some of our favorite leading ladies are in town, fresh off their Oscar parties a few days ago.

Reese Witherspoon, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore are having fun together, taking private classes at the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) in St. Helena, doing a bit of wine tasting at Opus One and Maison(ry) in Yountville, and... well, who knows what's next? Perhaps they'll stop by Morimoto Napa for some delicious nibbles...

The ladies are touring with some of their friends (see photo). We're sad they're not staying with us, but hey, ladies, if you ever want some good old fashioned down-home hospitality, stop on by. 

Please call us first, though...sometimes we're out running around getting fresh flowers and other goodies for our guests. We would hate to miss you!

Those who have stayed with us know that movies from three ladies take up LOTS of space in our DVD shelves-- Cameron's Knight and Day, Something About Mary, In Her Shoes, A Life Less Ordinary, Charlie's Angels, The Holiday and of course . . . Shrek!

Our Drew films include Ever After (one of Sharon's favorites), Charlie's Angels, The Wedding Singer (a Russ fave), Never Been Kissed, Music and Lyrics, Fever Pitch, Riding in Cars With Boys, Home Fries... and many others.

We both love Drew's 50 First Dates, for a very special reason: We first heard Izy Kamakawiwo'ole's "Over the Rainbow" in this movie. We loved it so much that it was the song we played in the delivery room when our daughter, KT, was born. Every time Russ hears it now, he tears up...

Sharon's a HUGE Reese Witherspoon fan, and a big admirer of her spunk and strong will. We own almost every movie Reese has ever made. Sharon's life-affirming movie---the one she watches whenever she needs a pick-me-up-- is Legally Blond. It's amazing how it feeds her soul and gives her strength. Makes her laugh, too!

Ladies, we thank you for all of the love and passion you've put into your films. The world is a better place because of who you are and what you've done. Grazie.

We hope you have an amazing time in the Napa Valley. 

Should you ever want to stay in a really beautiful historic old home, please give us a call. We'll tell you about our secret getaway spots, and wineries no one knows about. 

We'll even pull a special bottle of old, dusty wine out of our personal cellar to share with you.

We'll raise a glass and toast strong Hollywood women, and what they've done for women, all over the globe.

With warm regards from sunny Napa,

-Russ and Sharon

Innkeepers

Napa Old World Inn

and Hotel Napa Valley

Oenotri... Oh no!

Sad news...it seems Oenotri founders Tyler Rodde and Curtis Di Fedde have had a parting of the ways. 

Word on the street is that one is leaving, and the other will remain at the helm.

We will update this as we get more information, but wanted our longtime guests to know this as soon as we did.

As far as we know, the restaurant will continue serving its amazing fare, every day and night.

We are big supporters of what Oenotri is and does, and will continue to be. 

We wish them all the best as they move forward.

Russ Herschelmann & Sharon Fry
Innkeepers/Owners

Napa Old World Inn

Old World Inn Napa Bed and Breakfast in USAToday Travel Tips

Lots of folks love to come to the Napa Valley.

For many, one of the hardest questions is:  Where to stay in Napa?

USA Today addresses this in their Hotels in the Napa Area article (a Travel Tips section feature), offering advice on the best lodging properties in Napa.

USA Today had very specific choices, and only a select few made the cut.  In the article, they recommended two Resorts, two large Inns, two Hotels, but only ONE area bed and breakfast.

Wanna guess which one?

Out of almost 100 Napa Valley Bed and Breakfasts, Old World Inn is the ONLY one mentioned in USA Today's Travel Tips.  Our history, daily gourmet breakfast, evening wine reception, and yummy chocolate chip cookies were all mentioned.  Gotta love that!

We've received a number of great awards and acclaim over the past few years.

It's great to get this kind of attention, but it's the guest reviews that mean the most to us.

Our sincere thanks to all of our amazing and wonderful guests for making this such a great place to stay in Napa!

Russ Herschelmann & Sharon Fry
Innkeepers/Owners
Napa Old World Inn